


Brotherhood Lasts After Death

by AliNear



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, One Piece
Genre: Found Family, Magic, Non-binary character, Or really remembered family?, Reincarnation, Ron Weasley being a good bro, Running Away, Tree Houses, Weasley Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-01-04 06:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21193265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliNear/pseuds/AliNear
Summary: Bill and Charlie Weasley would just like to find their littlest brother, thank you.None of this half wild children, who speak in multiple tongues, and eat meat like it's the fountain of youth.But apparently if they want their brother they have to take the other two as well.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, i know i have like 9 on going fics but, but, but get this, this one is not Umbrella Academy related so, there.

**October 31, 1994**

Bill was the oldest of seven and having been born during the war was use to responsibility and bad news. His mom didn’t know but he still remembered when they got the news about Uncle Fabian and Gideon. But after the war, after everything, going to Hogwarts, becoming a curse breaker, and helping raise his younger siblings between all that, he had thought they were good. Safe. All nine of them. His mom and dad came back from order missions, his siblings were on their way to being adults, they were safe. And while he and Charlie had highly dangerous jobs, they were as safe as they could be in their professions.

He hadn’t expected the floo call. Or rather, he thought bitterly, he expected a call from Ron to get all the details from his first year at Hogwarts. He just, he hadn’t expected it to maybe be his youngest brother’s only year at Hogwarts.

And that thought stole the breath from his lungs, and he could feel his eyes sting with unshed tears. Because it was looking more and more true as each day passes.

It had been two years since Ron disappeared. Two years since he, a muggle born witch, and the ever-famous boy who lived did not get on the Hogwarts express or show up at King Cross station.

In under an hour after the train docked at the station, it was searched from top to bottom. In the next professors, ghosts, and the Weasleys were searching the castle as Hagrid and a few trusted Aurors went into the forest. Not a clue was found.

No one knew what happened to them. No one had seen them since the night before, having been sound asleep in their respective beds according to their roommates. No alarms had gone off. No paintings or ghost saw the three first years out and about. Patrolling Professors and prefects hadn’t caught sight of anything either.

But by morning their trunks were packed and at the foot of their beds, ready for a train they would never board.

By the end of the day Aurors swarmed the school, the newspapers were running the story, and three first years still hadn’t been found. Billy and Charlie were called the next morning. Ron, Harry, and Hermione had already been missing 24 hours.

With the boy-who-lived involved many were calling foul play, a Voldemort sympathizer surely took the boy, sometimes completely ignoring the other two missing children. By the end of the week the news had spread across Europe and straight into Asia, Africa, and even going to the Americas- Britain had lost the boy who lived.

It was Charlie, after going through Ron’s trunk that confided in Bill.

“It can’t have been a kidnaping,” he whispered to him, eyes trailing across the room towards their distraught mother, “Some of his things are missing, clothes, and some of the text books we gave him with our notes. I’m willing to bet stuff is missing from the other trunks as well.”

But all that did was make them question, if they were taken why did they run away?

“Even if there isn’t a kidnapper,” Bill realized. “Their running. But what are they running from?”

“Who?” Charlie whispered fearfully.

That realization didn’t mean anything. A year passed and then another.

And with each passing day, week, and year Bill tried not to hold resentment. Tried not to hate the image of Harry Potter that lived in his head. Bill got it, he did, Harry Potter was big deal, both as an idol and savior, and as a child. But the news spread and spread and consumed, leaving the Weasleys and the muggle parents behind, with no news or information about their children.

But time passed and tracking spells and rituals failed, owls circled back still holding portkeys and flair runes. Lead after lead fizzled out. Last year they almost had hope, desperately they had gone to question Sirius Black! Only to find out with a few drops of veritaserum that Black was innocent of all charges.

They’d have thought the children dead if it wasn’t for the clock with Ron’s arm still ever present on the Forest and the letter’s Hogwarts automatically wrote for its students, though no owl could send it. It’s been two years, and no matter what, Bill and Charlie would not give up on their brother.

Bill and Charlie hadn’t cared when the Triwizard tournament was announced, they were too busy researching, hoping and searching for their brother. They were marking X off of forests and expanding the area the three could have travel on their maps, getting into contact with friends of friends and expanding the search wider and wider.

It was Halloween of 1994, when Bill was leaning over one map eyeing the X that dotted it as he measures the distance from Hogsmead. Scratching his head before eyeing his notes on average walking distance on uneven terrain and scratching out the math in the corner of the map, when the floo lit up.

Charlie snorted, jolting himself awake from the chair he had slumped over in, bleary looking at Dumbledore’s tall figure stepping out of the fireplace. Distantly he heard his mother’s mumbling as she hurried in from the garden, his eyes going down when she came in unwilling to look at her graying hair and drawn face.

Molly’s eyes darted to the clock the second she saw the headmaster, shoulders slumping forward in relief that his hand was still ticking- her Ronnie was still okay, still alive.

“Headmaster,” Molly greeted, fusing slight, hands flying to move all the quills and wooden sticks (Pencils, Bill had sighed deeply when the new muggle utensil didn’t even cheer up their father), “What brings you here?”

He bowed his head, taking his rather long blue hat off, “Molly, it’s been too long,” he greeted back, stepping into the kitchen, “But there seems to have been a development.”

The three Weasleys’ stilled. Heads snapping up to look at the headmaster with hope, so much unbelievable hope.

“Tonight, we had the choosing of the Triwizard Tournament,” he began, pulling the head chair out and folding himself into the seat, “The Goblet chose an unexpected fourth champion.” Pulling out a bit of parchment he set it on the table.

Bill eyed the name staring back at him from the paper, a bubbling of resentment making his face twitch into a frown.

“What does this have to do with Ron?”

“My boy,” Dumbledore leaned forward, his eyes staring intently over his glasses, “The Goblet of Fire is an ancient magical artifact with it’s properties and bonding contract-“

“You’re saying it might be able to track down the fourth champion, that we can use the magic in the goblet to- are you sure?”

“I am not.” He answered simply, “But we must try.”

A boy stretched, pulling his arms up and waiting for the crack of his back before heading towards the ladder of the tree house. Pausing at the opening he glanced back to peer at the two other occupants.

With frizzy hair cut shorter and turning lighter each year, right side of a still chubby cheek pressed into a pillow, a pair of slightly bucked teeth peaked out through parted lips. Nearly on top of the, with hair steadily growing longer as the months passed, a mop of messy and slightly curled black hair framed a tanned face, with head tilted the hair parted framing the famous scar that ran jaggedly down the forehead.

Rolling his neck, he reached up to running freckled fingers through his red hair, now several shades darker than it was when he was eleven. Deciding the other two should have a bit of a lazy day he left them to their nap. Climbing down the ladder and started the journey towards the river. Splashing his face and taking a sip of water, he stared at his reflection, wondering if his family would recognize him. More and more freckles disappeared under tanned skin and each time he checked his roots grew darker and darker. Shrugging off the difference, he stood and crossed with the river with practiced ease, following the path and markers they had set up. Navigating the forest with ease even as it grew dark and dark as evening set in.

Passed the bend of the pine tree that fallen but had still stubbornly continued to grow, and around the pile of rocks with purpling moss, he came to their first trap. Smiling widely, he deftly plucked the knife from his belt and leaned down, petting the rabbit once- twice- and then…

“Looks like we’ll be having rabbit for dinner.”


	2. Chapter 2

They meet

<strike>At 11 years old in a carriage on the Hogwarts express</strike>

At 7 and 10 years old respectively in the bandit territory of the forest of Mt. Colubo.

They were

Harry James Potter the son of war heroes, the savior of the Wizarding world, an orphan.

<strike>Monkey D. Luffy the abandoned child of rebellion, the pirate king, a brother.</strike>

Ronald Billus Weasley the sixth son that was loved if a little forgotten, a strategist, a child.

<strike>Portgas D. Ace the orphaned prince of the sea, the second division commander, a brother. </strike>

Hermione Jean Granger the cherished daughter of civilians, a scholar, a muggle born.

<strike>Sabo the runaway noble, the revolutionary, a brother.</strike>

They <strike>were</strike> are three lonely children<strike> sailing</strike> setting off on a new adventure. Three children that sat beside each other as strangers, unknowing of their past or their coming futures. It is not until later, days, and weeks, and months later that an inkling of what they use to be settles into their skin. Suddenly the ease and comfort they took from one and other made sense. They aren’t like the others, meeting for the first and interacting with strangers. There is no hesitance in their hugs or words, in their actions in defending each other, after all they are is no hesitance or fear amongst brothers.

It starts off small.

The first few days inside the castle, when a whisper of anger bubbled in Ron’s gut like lava and his face was set aflame at the sight of the fading scars and yellowish bruises that decorated Harry’s _<strike>his brother’s, his little brother’s</strike>_<strike>, </strike>back. No memories settled but the thoughts would circle in his head for days afterwards, his emotions would run wild whenever Hermione or Harry were mocked.

Snapes class becomes a war ground the second he finishes his introduction speech. As she grinded her teeth together and snarled at the injustice and unfair treatment _<strike>her brother’s, her little brother’s</strike>_<strike>,</strike> Harry is put through. When the Professor turns his attention to anyone not in green there is a rage of fury against the <strike>nobles’ </strike>pureblood. Hermione can’t quite stop the jotted notes and research she starts on the Wizarding world as a whole, wondering if this was just another fancy cage, they were trapped in.

It was the way as the days passed the only ones Harry would listen to were, <strike>his brothers, his big brothers, </strike>his two new friends. His gaze blank and disinterested before Ron leaned forward and whispered simpler instructions or Hermione would stand stone faced as he wrote the homework out.

It was the way Ron wouldn’t argue when Hermione corrects him but will fume and throw a fit if anyone else tries to. It was the way Harry looks back at them, head tilted as he curls himself into their side asking in a small voice for them to make it better. It was the way Hermione’s hair starts to lighten and one night she burns her skirts and takes Ron’s pants, hemming them with practice ease though she never took a class. It was the way by Christmas Ron’s hair was already several shades darker than his siblings and his eyes seemed gray in the candlelight. It was the way Harry bleeds into Luffy as his eyes darken and laugh turned into snickering shishishis.

They don’t have their memories.

Not really, instead it was a mess of whispers of thoughts and feelings, nostalgia they couldn’t explain to themselves, but the others understood. It was the knowledge that they were something more, something more then just Harry, Ron, and Hermione and most importantly something more to each other. It was a mess.

Their first year, though eventful and filled with adventure and their new siblinghood, came closer and closer to an end.

So, Ron and Hermione shared a glance over Harry’s head and set out on their personal mission.

They went to McGonagall after dinner, telling her firmly about the long-faded bruises, the scars that stand out starkly on his back, and the ribs that were still a little visible after all the meals at Hogwarts. Her face is stern but concerned, thanking them for stepping up before she sets off. The days following, her eyes are a little vacant and she was dazed. Each time they tried to bring it up she had abruptly cut them off and send them on their way.

They try Dumbledore next and are stricken when he chuckles at their worries, offering them candy as he tells them how children exaggerate, and their friend was fine.

Unsure what else to do, Ron writes to his mother begging the mothering woman to please help. Only, when Erol crashes into the table it is with a short note explaining Dumbledore was looking into the matter.

_It’s just like before, _they thought_, the adults never help. We’re on our own._

Without the adults… they realize a few days before term ends, they really only had one option.

“Are you sure?” Ron whispered harshly, two nights before they were to be sent home even as he handed over his clothes and textbooks.

(“Your textbooks,” Hermione complained “which all of your brothers owned, have notes in the margin, how to do it better or what works better, you have an advantage.”)

“I did the research,” Hermione huffed, laying down a half-folded map she had gotten her parents to send, “These,” she pointed, “are magical forest,” she pointed to the dark Xs as her gaze shot back towards the book she had open on the library table, “if we follow along this line, we’ll stay close to the fault line and to Wizarding villages.”

“That sounds important.” Ron muttered, eyes glancing back towards Harry’s form, curled in on himself with his head rest against the window glass as he slept.

Reaching over he wiggled the glasses from his face, setting them down on the table with fondness.

“It means they can’t track us magically,” she sniffed, before her eyes soften and she brought a hand up to comb her fingers through Harry’s hair “We could practice all we wanted to but there’s just too much magic in the area for them to be able to get a reading.”

Nodding along with that Ron commented as lightly as he could, “Well then, we need to pack as light as we can, none of us know the feather weight charm. We leave tomorrow night, no one will check on us during our free day.”

And he was quite right, no one did check on them the entire day, in fact no one checked on them or looked for them until the evening when the train rolled into King’s Cross station and they couldn’t be found. And as parents and the wizarding world panicked, Harry took off his shoes and socks and jumped into a shallow river with a laugh, his eyes sparkling as a grin stretched his cheeks out.

Hermione’s smiled in amusement pushing back her hair, now shortened (With one of the three knives Ron had taken from the newly discovered kitchen), as she watched fondly as he splashed in the river, stopping only to hold up a particular shinny rock.

Ron heaved, allowing the bag to slide off his back as he got comfortable against the moss of a tree, shoving his sneakers off to put them in the river.

“We should camp here tonight.”

“Could catch some fish.” Hermione answered back off handedly.

“Just like old times.”

Giggling, she nodded, “Just no metal pipes.”

Before the end of the year they would make it nearly across the country, sneaking through wizarding villages and blending into forest with practiced ease. But by the end of the year, and what would have been the middle of their second year of Hogwarts, they found their home.

They got to work, choosing a tree they built, with an old man’s voice whispering in their head, they built and built creating a tree house with a rope bridge leading to a landing further up in the trees. At the base Ron built a small fence as Hermione made rows as seeds were planted, Harry diligently measuring the spaces as he planted seed by seed. But with the new residence came over changes as well.

Hermione’s hair was turning a straw like shade of blond as Ron’s turned darker and darker red nearly the color of blood, the green of Harry’s eyes darkened before becoming speckled with brown and after a few months he threw his glasses down, unneeded as they were. Tickles of memories have them shifting and soon they were not just the missing Gryffindor Trio but instead the monsters of Grey Terminal. Harry faded into and out of Luffy, just as Hermione and Sabo melded into one- already use to getting a new set of memories as he was, Ron took the longest, fighting against his memories, terrified they would take over and he would forget what it was like to have his mother hold him and his father wipe tears from his eyes. But it gave way, until they were no more one then the other.

In a forest a day’s walk from the nearest village were three children in a tree house, untouched and unburdened by the world around them, they grew into themselves and each other, standing tall and proud side by side, as the ASL brothers’ did in a past life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a long chapter but i hope you enjoy it

The ritual Bill and the goblins perfected with the cup lead them to a patch of forest about an hour away from Godric’s Hollow. A small village that Dumbeldore had been rather shocked to see they were close to.

“Why,” he told Bill, “That is where the Potter’s were…”

Bill had nodded stiffly, more concerned with amounting number of people that were popping up. Aurors, Professors, Ministry Officials all trying to join the search party.

“Professor,” it was Charlie that pointed it out, “Having this many people, especially strangers… _if,” _and he had to say if, no one had liked Bill and Charlie’s insistence that it made more sense that they ran, Hogwarts after all is the safest place, “_if _they didn’t get taken they will hide from this amount of people, and if they did get taken there is no way we can search a forest with… one, two, nearly forty people without drawing attention.”

“Let me and Charlie go in first,” he begged, “We can send a patronus if we find something or if we don’t.”

His blue eyes look at the two Weasley’s before scanning the gathered volunteers.

“One day.” He nodded, “Best be off then.”

The two red heads ran.

Handing Bill some dragon hid armor, _just in case_, Charlie fastened his own up in record time. “Horntails, shed the most, and anything left behind is turned to armor cause its more fire resistant.” He explained, when he saw his brother’s look.

Packing food, extra clothes, and potions, they kissed their mother goodbye. Leaving Percy and dad to take care of her, even as Fred and George sat close by and Ginny had made herself comfortable plastered to her side. Charlie and Bill hoisted their bags up and stepped into the floo, appearing at Bathilda Bagshot’s residence. Thanking the elderly woman, they began the track towards the woods.

The woods were dense and seemed to…

“Do you feel that?” Charlie mutters lowly, as if speaking louder would wake something up.

And it felt that way, Bill’s chest tightened with anticipation and anxiety- the type he hadn’t felt since he would sneak out late at Hogwarts to get snacks from the kitchens. The air seemed like it was filled with static, bouncing off the trees and humming.

“It’s wild magic.” He realized, “Wild, untouched magic.”

Charlie goes silent for a moment, “… What does that mean for us?”

“I don’t know.”

“…What does that mean for Ronnie?”

“….I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s good.”

Ron and Hermione had begun to favor fire spells shortly after they left, so even though it was October the two had gladly warmed up the river bed as their baby brother's request and spent most of the day splashing around. Something, they hadn't been able to do at Mt. Colubo. So, adorning shorts and Hermione a sports bra, the three had raced their way to the stream, pushing and screaming as they jumped in. 

Giggling, Harry splashed Ron, ducking behind Hermione as he did so. With squinting eyes and a war cry, Ron moved further into the stream, taking wide steps to fight the current as he growled playfully at his siblings. Waiting a beat for Ron to get closer, Hermione acted, tackling the taller boy into the stream with a scream and a cheer from Harry. As the two came up for air they turned their attention to the smaller boy as his cheers cut off abruptly. With his head tilted to the side and green gaze cutting through the woods.

“Har?” getting off of Ron, Hermione moved closer, lightly laying a hand on his shoulder.

Ron’s attention was on the woods as he scrambled to stand up, scanning through the trees for the disturbance. His own gaze turning serious and contemplating as he focused.

“Someone’s in the woods.” Harry’s voice came out a whisper, “Someone’s coming.” He leaned against the familiar touch.

“It’s probably some kids from the village, like last time.” Hermione tried to sooth.

“No,” Ron disagreed, closing his eyes and exhaling, his body tense, “My brothers. I’d know their magical signature anywhere and with observation haki…”

“What should we do?”

Hermione and Harry turned, peering at him imploringly, “They’re your brothers, so it’s up to you. We can disappear,” gesturing deeper into the woods, “or do you want to meet up with them?”

Licking his lips, he thought about it even as he got out of the stream, “They’re both adults.” He spoke finally, “If… if we can convince them about Harry’s situation, we could head back.”

“And if we can’t?”

His face turned into a grimace as he spoke the words through gritted teeth, “You learned the obliteration spell last summer, didn't you?”


	4. Chapter 4

His face turned into a grimace as he spoke the words through gritted teeth, “You learned the obliteration spell last summer, didn't you?”

Hermione eyed him for a long moment, “I thought you liked your family?” Her voice rose in distress, “Like I’ve defiantly killed people before-“

“Kill?! No! Don’t,” he stammered, halting his steps to turn around and stare, “I thought Obliteviate was that memory thing?”

Her nose scrunched up, “Do you mean _Obliviate?”_

“I don’t know? Is that the memory spell?”

“Just,” she huffed, stomping her bare foot down into the grass of the forest, “Do you want me to erase their memories or kill them?”

“Why would I want you to kill them?!”

“I don’t know! You’re the one that said Obliteration. Why would that be a memory spell?”

“I don’t know, you obliterate their memories?”

“That’s to thought out, I thought we agreed the people from this time are stupid.”

“I mean, how was I supposed to remember?!”

“Easy, Ace Jesus, one explodes, and one makes a person forget, you need to at least remember that.” 

“I thought you said it was all about intent anyway, you threw out those books months ago,”

Harry hummed, weaving through the trees and away from the arguing with practice ease, wondering how long it would take his brother and brother-sister to notice he left them… again. As they had fought Harry had decided to do what he did best. Ignore the plan and head out. He remembered Ace’s other brothers from the first time, surely if Ace-Ron was fond of these brothers they would just as interesting as the flaming chicken and that guy that turned shiny and mini mustache man. So, to solve the problem, he focused on the direction they were coming from and started walking.

“Where’d Harry go?”

“Hello!” he shouted, jumping down to a lower tree branch so he could peek through the leaves.

Before him the two red heads jumped, the one with scares head snapped up, eyes scanning the trees before meeting Harry’s dead on. The one with an earing and longer hair just seconds after him. They really did look like Ron.

They shared a glance between each other, before the long haired one put his wand away.

“Hello? Uh… Harry?”

A bubble of excitement had his lips stretch until he was giving the two red heads his famous grin, rolling he let himself fall from the tree branch landing on his- oh he hadn’t put his shoes on. He dug his toes into the dirt even as he wiggled.

“You’re Harry, right?”

He hummed, tilting his head as he tried to remember the names Ron had told him.

“Harry Potter?”

Scrunching his nose up at his name, he nodded before slamming an open fist to his palm. “Mummy brother and dragon.” He nodded, satisfied with his deduction.

The long haired one snorted as the other shrugged, “Yeah, you can call me Dragon.”

Harry shook his head, “My dad’s a dragon.” Squinting his eyes, he stared, “You’re not my dad… Mione would know.”

“I’m not-“

“That’s not important, is Ron wit-“

Harry whipped his head up, staring through the trees, just as then began to rustle. The two red haired grabbed their wands and planted their feet, Mummy reached out and tried to pull Harry behind him, but on nimble feet he spun away from his hold.

“Harry!” echoed and bounced off the trees before a figure shot through the bushes and slammed a fist to his cheek.

“Ow!” he cried out, “Roooonnnn that hurt.”

“Serves you right!” he yelled back, glaring angrily at the smaller boy, “What did I tell you about going off on your own?!”

But Harry wasn’t listening, instead the second another figure exited the bushes he ran to her.

“Mione, Mione,” he sniffled, “Ron’s being mean.” He peaked away from her side to stick his tongue out.

“Oya! I am not!”

“Ron?”

Turning is head to the side so he could glance up at the other two he was met with his oldest brothers, staring at him as if he was a ghost. For a second, he felt, knowing exactly how they felt- feeling like they had done something wrong to lose him just like he had lost Sabo. But the second passed when he glanced back over to Mione and Harry, hugging each other loosely as they watched him.

“Hi Bill, hi Charlie… it’s been a while.”


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a tense and rather awkward few moments before Ron had grabbed Harry’s hand and walked back into the woods, Hermione close at his heels. He had paused some seven of eight feet away before glancing back his graying blue eyes peering back at the taller red heads.

“Well, you coming?”

Charlie jolted before hurrying to catch up, Bill not a second behind. 

They walked through the forest in anything but silence. Harry having decided to start a stream of chatter about anything and everything, hanging off Ron’s arm as he swung his head around to peer at them curiously.

“And-and then I told you I told you so then Jimbie joined! So, it was Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, and Robin, Franky, and Brook and it was so much fun.” He told them breathlessly.

Hermione chuckled, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back, “Reminds me when me and Koala went on the mission to Alabasta- after I believe you? Helped the princess.”

“VIVI!” Harry cheered, letting go of Ron to throw his hands up and giggle madly.

And the chatter continued.

Bill would have probably found the chatter annoying if he wasn’t so focused on watching Ron. Ron who was smiling indulgently- like how Bill and Charlie use to smile when Ron would come crying tot hem about the twins. His face soft and warm as he stepped into the conversation tossing in names like Marco, Thatch, Jozu, and more. He was so focused on watching his brother’s expression he didn’t notice the smaller boy step back to walk pace with him and Bill until a finger reached up and poked his cheek. 

“Ney, ney, are you sad?” he asked innocently.

Bill could feel his chest tighten uncomfortably and he grit his teeth shutting his eyes for a moment. Before he could answer or do anything-

“We’re here!”

Looking up they were met with a small cleared out area around a large tree. Around the stump of the tree was a circumference of a cleared-out area, brown dirt shown through, as well as a small put that was surrounded by rocks, some logs that were around the pit and a small area fenced in by branches that held some wild fruits and vegetable.

Before he could see anything else his attention went to Ron who was daftly climbing the tree, reaching out when he was about nine feet off the ground to tug on a rope, pulling it loose from its snagged place in a tree branch. Bill’s eyes trailed upwards, from what he figured out was a rope ladder to the bottom of a tree house. It was pretty large, from what he could see, with a small opening where the rope disappeared into. It was shaped like a gazebo with small cut out windows that had netting over them.

Ron climbed his way up the rope disappearing inside before he stuck his head out the whole, “Heads up!” he called out, chucking out four long sticks, that as they sunk into the ground Bill realized he should really call spears, as they were carved down into pointed tips.

Next, he pulled the rope ladder up as Harry darted forwards to collect the spears, before a muggle cooler was being lowered down with the rope. Once that hit the ground and Hermione dragged it away, Charlie was dragged into helping gather firewood from a small den they had made on the other side of the garden. Bill stood still watching Ron climb back down, a large knife in his pocket.

Bill wasn’t sure what to think as Ron and Hermione began to gut and skin rabbits they pulled from the cooler with practiced ease, neither reacting to the blood as they separated organs.

“The legs are good for stews but no much else.” Ron told him, as both he and Hermione butchered the gray rabbit, Ron taking the fur and setting it aside, “The liver, kidney, heart, and lungs” he told him taking the organs and skewering them, “are also eatable.”

Harry walked over, carefully grabbing the cast aside organs before scampering off into the woods.

“Where is he going?” Charlie asked, rising from his crouched position over the fire.

“Cant keep that here, don’t need anything wild coming at night.”

“Once we accidently left a fish out, had a bear just sitting here chewing on it when we woke up.” Ron told them cheerfully.

“Harry will take it to the cliff edge and through it over, something will eat it.”

Harry doesn’t come back until the five rabbits had been skewered and put over the fire. It was as he reached forwards to grab his share that Bill finally asked.

“Ron… why? Why did you run- why did you leave?” he settled on.

And for a few moments the entire forest was silent, the bugs stopped chirping the wind stopped blowing, and even the fire didn’t crackle. Harry turned away from his meal, instead opting to make his way to Ron, curling into his lap with his back facing the fire and the two brothers.

Ron’s eyes seemed to burn, fire dancing his cold gaze as he stared at him, one arm curling around Harry protectively as a snarl pulled at his lips. Hermione shifted, moving closer to the two to stand at their side, rabbit gone, but her hands still holding the spear as she looked at Bill coldly.

“What else was I suppose to do?” he whispered, “What choice did I have when no one would listen to us?”

Charlie frowned deeply, glancing back to look at Bill with the same feeling of heavy confusion.

“Ron, what are you talking about?”

His eyes narrowed, glancing between the two for a moment before leaning down to whisper into Harry’s hair, receiving a curt nod in response, Ron reached down and tugged the back of Harry’s shirt up, exposing his back to the two brothers.

“It’s been almost four years and he’s still under weight,” Hermione snapped, “His growth is stunted if you couldn’t tell, instead of looking 14 he looked 12.”

And Bill hadn’t really paid attention to that when they saw him did, he? Just now noticing he was nearly two heads shorter than Ron.

“We went to Dumbledore and he said we were over reacting.” Ron spat out, “McGonagall was furious when she saw this but when we asked again, she didn’t know what we were talking about.”

Bill’s eyes couldn’t tare away from the boy-wo-lived’s back, eyes tracing over pale scares.

“I owled mom but she just went to Dumbledore and when he said it was fine… well he couldn’t be wrong could he?” he tone turned cold as he spat Dumbledore’s name like a curse.

Bill didn’t know what to say, he couldn’t speak, as his eyes wondered over the scares that decorated Harry’s back, the way his ribs were still faintly visible, and finally to the way he curled into Ron for protection, like he could chase everything bad away.

“You taught me older brothers protect their youngers, you told me no matter what you would be on my side first and anything else second. I promised him, I told him I’d be his family.” His voice cracked as he dropped Harry’s shirt and pulled him closer, “No one would listen…I couldn’t let him go back, I couldn’t Bill. Not when I saw the bruises, when I saw the nightmares. I couldn’t do that to him.”

And really, what could Bill say to that.


End file.
